HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - AIPCA Meeting Minutes from November 18, 2021Ames International Partner Cities Association
November 18, 2021
Meeting Minutes
Attending: Calli Sandahl, Todd Jacobus, Tom Sauer, Cindy Hicks, Katrina Williams, Marina Kraeva,
Michael Abrams, Karla McCollum, Steven McKinney, Jen Malone
1. Call to Order - 5:30 pm (Cindy)
2. Kosovo Update
a. Todd and Karla presented on updates to Kosovo
b. Iowa Sister States has set up a few meetings with Kosovo, including a governor’s
meeting and a university student’s peace and conflict 5-week program
c. Would love to help assist in setting up a sister city relationship with Kosovo - Kosovo has
a strong relationship with Iowa already.
d. Concerns about safety - Todd assured everyone Kosovo is very safe and would
encourage anyone to visit. There is political strife, but doesn’t seem particularly
concerning. Would be a good learning opportunity for high school students.
e. Concerns still exist related to COVID.
f. Next steps include –
i. Reaching out to mayor’s office to see if there was a response to letter sent in
February
ii. Connect with mayor to determine if it’s time to move forward with relationship
3. Tunisia Update
a. Subcommittee got together on Tuesday to talk about relationships.
i. The situation hasn’t changed, so moving forward with building a relationship is
on hold for six months, or until the situation changes.
4. Approval of Minutes - motion to approve Marina ; 2nd Calli - approved by all
5. Approval of Treasurer’s Report - motion to approve Calli ; 2nd Marina - approved by all
6. Japan 2022 Updates / Virtual Student Partners
a. No news from Koshu, but Yamanashi is sending a delegation in January.
b. Yamanashi is hosting a small high school delegation virtually with 10 students from each
high school
c. Possibility of waiting to send a delegation to Japan in August rather than July. Cindy will
connect with Koshu to see if that would match up with their schedule.
d. If we don’t go, we can try to set up a virtual and pen pal exchange
7. Calendar Project Updates
a. Finding the artists to gain permission to use their artwork has proved difficult.
b. Discussed delaying the calendar until August 2022. Use the newsletter to announce it
will be coming out and people can look for them.
8. Newsletter Reminder
a. Everyone to send Calli content by December 31.
9. December Meeting a. We will hold a meeting on December 16 at 5:30.
10. Motion to Adjourn - 6:37